Burgess Meredith is a famous American actor, screenwriter and director. He was remembered by a wide audience for the role of Mickey Goldmil, a boxing coach from the legendary film "Rocky." He began acting in the distant thirties and worked until his death in 1997.
Air Force Captain
Oliver Burgess Meredith was born at the turn of the century, in 1907, in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from high school, he studied at Amherst College. In 1933 he was accepted into the acting troupe. Meredith made his debut in the production of Romeo and Juliet, and then played in the play Winter at the Threshold. Later, a movie was made from this play, in which Burgess Meredith played a major role.
During the war, he served in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of captain.
However, in 1944, he temporarily left the army to take part in the filming of "The History of Private Joe." Burgess Meredith plays the role of renowned war reporter Ernie Pyle.
After the war, the retired Air Force captain tries his hand as a director and producer. His debut in this field is the film "Diary of a Maid", based on the novel of the same name.
Here he also performs one of the roles. Along with him, Pollet Godard, who at that time was his wife, starred. "Diary of a maid" was not the only joint film of the spouses. After a couple of years, they again starred together in the film "Our Wedding Path."
Going into the shadows and triumphant return
In the fifties, Burgess Meredith, whose films were gaining popularity, became a victim of the vigorous activity of the notorious Senator McCarthy. He falls into the sight of the Commission on anti-American activities and is included in the so-called black list of Hollywood celebrities.
This closes all the doors for him, so for several years the director and actor have been unemployed.
After the end of the witch hunt, Burgess Meredith returns to active creative activity. He participates in theatrical productions on Broadway and has starred a lot. Meredith became truly popular after the role of the Penguin in the series "Batman".
A bright, characteristic actor with a memorable appearance and a specific creaky voice could play any character. So the Penguin in his performance turned out to be so memorable that the producers of the series tried to use every opportunity to introduce the hero of Meredith to the plot of the next episode.
Rocky and Mickey
Despite all his past achievements, the actor received the most stellar role forty-odd years after the start of his career. In the cult film "Rocky" Burgess Meredith tried on the image of the coach of the protagonist Mickey Goldmil. According to many fans of the film, the old actor completely outplayed Sylvester Stallone and looked the best.
The tape was a resounding success, and Burgess Meredith was consistently invited to participate in the sequels of the film until 1990. After filming in "Rocky" he was nominated for an Oscar for a supporting role. A year earlier, Burgess Meredith was also nominated for this award for participating in the film Locust Day.
However, an experienced actor was not left without any awards.
In 1977, he still received an Emmy for his supporting role in a television film about Senator McCarthy. You can also note the role of Mr. Hennessey in the thriller "Dirty Game" (1978).
Last years
In the eighties, the actor works on television, being the host of the program "These funny animals." In 1994, an elderly Burgess Meredith published an autobiographical book, “So far so good,” in which he made a series of frank confessions about his illness, because of which he was exposed to sudden mood changes that caused so many problems to his relatives.
Representatives of the young generation of the nineties fell in love with the veteran for the role of Gustafson’s grandfather in the dramatic comedy “Old Grunts”.
The film was a success, so soon the second part of the story "Old Grunts raged 2" was released, where an experienced actor also took part.
In 1997, the long career of the legendary filmmaker was interrupted. He died after prolonged Alzheimer's disease and melanoma. After a short speech by his longtime friend Adam West, the body of the old actor was cremated.
The merits of Burgess Meredith were duly recognized by the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts: on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a personalized star dedicated to the legendary actor and director appeared.